


i hand these down to you

by snarkymuch



Series: Broken Wings [7]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies)
Genre: Angst, Bigotry & Prejudice, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Guilt, May Parker (Spider-Man) & Tony Stark Coparenting Peter Parker, Pepper Potts Is a Good Bro, Peter Has A Good Cry, Peter Parker Has Anxiety, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Self-Esteem Issues, Self-Hatred, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Wingfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-24
Updated: 2020-02-24
Packaged: 2021-02-28 02:02:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,456
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22886005
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/snarkymuch/pseuds/snarkymuch
Summary: *You probably need to the others for this one. I tried to make it kinda standalone, but the universe is getting more complex*Tony takes Peter driving, May and Pepper bond, Tony finds out what Peter has been doing at night when he goes out without his suit. Confrontations happen and feelings are had.
Relationships: Peter Parker & Tony Stark
Series: Broken Wings [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1588876
Comments: 30
Kudos: 371





	i hand these down to you

**Author's Note:**

> I have no excuse for this but to say my brain was locked into needing to write some angst so this happened. I'm sorry. I don't know what's wrong with me. A big thanks to for-thine-is, Sp8cefluff, River_Star_Light, and my friend Jade for helping with the major writer's block. It apparently takes a village to help me find the plot.

“I don’t understand how you can simultaneously be the most cautious and dangerous driver in New York.”

Peter’s grip tightened on the wheel, and he chanced a look at this mentor. “You told me to go straight through the light.”

Tony pointed at the road in front of them. “The road, Peter, eyes on the road, and I meant after the light turned green, not when it was still red.”

Peter frowned. “You’re making me nervous. You keep twitching, and what’s with the hand thing? Every time I hit the brake, you throw a hand at my chest like you can hold me in. Isn’t that something, like, a soccer mom would do.”

His eyes moved to look at Tony again, but his mentor caught him looking and jabbed a finger toward the road. Peter sighed, feeling his palms sweaty against the wheel.

“We both can’t be freaking out here, kid. I can see the sweat on your brow, and you’re starting to smell like Teen Spirit.”

“Huh? Was that some kind of reference?”

“Pay attention to the road.” The car in front of Peter slammed on the brakes, making Tony curse. “Okay, it’s gonna be fine. Worst case scenario, Friday will take over and hopefully save us from certain death.”

Peter swallowed, hitting the brakes as he narrowly missed a cab that cut him off. He looked at Tony. “Are you trying to reassure me or you?”

“I’m not sure—a little of both.”

A car honked behind him, and he licked his lips. One of Tony’s hands was on Peter’s chest, and the other was clutching where his arc reactor once resided.

“Maybe this was a bad idea,” Tony said. “My heart isn’t what it used to be. I’m not sure which was worse, the shrapnel or your attempt at parallel parking.”

“I passed at the top of the class in Driver’s Ed,” Peter said, looking over at Tony while they were stopped, “but one of the other kids did rear-end someone and another tried to squeeze in a parking spot, but his aim was, like, really bad, and he just scraped the car beside him. The bumper got caught and fell off. We had to put it in the trunk.”

“Yeah, okay, take a right up ahead, then pull into Target. We’ll switch. I’ll take you upstate next week, and we’ll start fresh. Driving instruction, a la Tony. It’s what I should have done in the first place.”

Peter did as he said, and they switched places. Peter felt himself relaxing with Tony behind the wheel. They pulled back into traffic, and Tony began taking them back toward the tower.

When they’d left earlier, May and Pepper were going over color swatches for the nursery. Peter had stayed near the elevators, only offering a quick wave. Though he and Tony had shared a moment about his fears that night on the rooftop, it did little to change how he felt. He had a lifetime of negativity to overcome, and it wasn’t going to be an easy fix.

He shifted in his seat, scuffing his foot against the mat on the floor. The sunlight beating in the windshield made him squint, but it felt warm on his face. He watched the traffic around them as Tony moved them seamlessly around the cars.

“So, I noticed you’re still giving Pepper a wide berth,” Tony said, after a few minutes. “Just a warning, but you keep doing that, and you’re gonna give her a complex about her size, and let me tell you, that’s not something you want. I’ve been down that road, and it cost me a night of foot rubs and making her a banana mayo sandwich to make it right.”

Peter scrunched his nose. “Ew, that’s gross.”

“I’ve learned over the last few months not to question things. I just go with the flow and do as I’m told. If she wants to eat bananas and mayo, who am I to judge? She’s doing all the hard work, cooking up our baby.”

“That didn’t sound—”

Flipping on his blinker, Tony cut in front of someone to make it into the turning lane. “Yeah, that came out bad, but you catch my drift.”

A horn blared beside them, and Tony held his hand in the window, excusing himself with a lazy wave. Peter wondered if maybe he should take his lessons from Happy instead. Tony didn’t seem much better at times than his driving instructor had been. “Sometimes, you gotta be aggressive to get where you want to go.”

“Yeah, I’ll try to remember that.”

“So, going by the amount of traffic, we’ve got at least half an hour before we’re back. Plenty of time for a heart to heart about this new game that you’re playing where you dive for cover whenever Pep comes in the room.”

“I’m not—I’m not _hiding._ I’m just … I don’t know.”

Tony looked over at him, raising a brow. Peter shrank back in his seat, toying with the zipper on his sweatshirt.

“You know what the problem is,” Peter said eventually, “so I don’t know why you’re asking.”

“Because we need to talk about it. May called me last night. She told me you’ve been out later than usual, but I checked the suit, and you’re not in it.”

Peter shrugged. “I just wanted some space to think.”

“Not as Spider-Man? You’re what, just walking around at night, trying to get mugged?”

“It’s not like I can’t take care of myself.”

Tony sighed, rubbing his eye. They were at a stop again. “What’s going on, Peter? It’s not like you to avoid the suit. Is this really about the baby still?”

“This is why I didn’t want to tell you, because you’d think it was dumb.”

“I don’t think it’s dumb. I just want to understand. I just want to help, Peter.”

Peter bit at the inside of his lip. He honestly wasn’t sure what Tony would think of how he’d been spending his time. It wasn’t like he’d planned on things happening the way they’d had.

“It started as just going out to clear my head, but then one night, I came across this guy, I guess.”

“You guess? You either did or didn’t.”

Peter sighed, tossing a hand up. “Do you want me to tell you or not?”

Tony pressed his lips together. “Go on.”

“So, I met this guy. He’s um … homeless, like, he lives behind the development over in Astoria, where they got that building going up.”

“Okay, so you’re what, friends? What’s his name?”

Peter shrugged. “I don’t know, I guess we are. His name’s Ed.”

“No last name? How old is he?”

“Why? Are you looking him up?”

“I’m just watching out for you, kid.”

Peter sighed, looking out the window. “It wasn’t like I was planning on talking to him or anything, but I was out one night and saw him getting harassed by some kids. He’s uh—he’s a raven, too.”

Tony made a sound of understanding but otherwise stayed quiet.

“So, yeah, I scared the kids off, and we talked. I told him about me, and we just clicked.”

Tony looked over at him. “And what’s his take on black wings?”

Peter glanced down, averting his gaze. The zipper on his jacket was suddenly very interesting. “He uh—not good. His family—they died in a fire. His wife and daughter didn’t make it out.”

“That’s awful, but it’s not because of his wings, Peter. You don’t need someone like him filling your head with nonsense.”

“Yeah, his wife told him the same things—that he shouldn’t be afraid of hurting them, and look what happened to them.”

Tony sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Yeah, that’s not gonna fly, kid. We need to get you over this. I know you’re smarter than to believe that.”

“What should I believe? You’re a scientist. Look at the data, the cause and effect—look at how many people die around ravens.”

“And look at how many humans die around humans, Peter. Cars kill people, guns kill people, wings do not kill people!” Tony gritted his teeth, and Peter could see his jaw working. He drew a shaky breath. “I’m sorry, kid, but with the baby on the way, I don’t want you thinking that you’re cursed. I want you to be happy about this, too.”

“I am happy.”

“Maybe, but you’re putting yourself down, and I’m not standing for it. I want both my kids to have a future, to be happy.”

Peter fell silent at Tony’s words. _My kids_. He saw Peter as one of his own. It churned up emotions that he didn’t know how to quantify, so he kept his gaze on the passing scenery and stayed quiet.

* * *

Tony could feel the tension in his body as he pulled into the garage. Peter hadn’t said a word since he’d all but called him his son. It hadn’t been something he planned to say, but it didn’t mean that he meant it any less. In a perfect world, they’d be a family. Heck, even May was welcome to join their little troop of misfits. She wouldn’t even need to change her title either. She could still be the hot aunt.

He sighed as he shut off the car, pinching the bridge of his nose. He felt like he was screwing up, and he wasn’t even sure how this time. All he wanted was for Peter to be safe. He didn’t mean to interrogate him over his new raven friend, but he also couldn’t pretend that it wasn’t concerning. Tony was doing everything he could to straighten out the kid’s head in a world that worked to twist it, and now Peter was visiting a raven, who reinforced the exact thoughts Tony was trying to erase.

Tony dropped his hand from his nose and eyed Peter. The kid was fiddling with the zipper on his jacket, not looking up. Tony chewed his lip, glancing at his door handle and then back to Peter. Did he really want to go another round of arguing, or should he just let it drop? The decision was made for him, though, when Peter spoke.

“You can’t change the truth.”

“And what truth’s that, Peter?”

The kid’s shoulder bumped up in a shrug. His gaze was still locked on the zipper as he flicked it back and forth with his thumb. “I’ll never be something I’m not. This is who I am.”

Tony lifted his head, looking at the moonroof and counting to five silently. If there was a god, please give him strength. “I thought I made it pretty clear that I accept you for you.” He shook his head. “I wish you could have met Jarvis. You know, my father was a lot of things, but he never cared that Jarvis was a raven, neither did my mother, or Ana—his wife. He lived a good life, Peter, even with the way the world looked at him, he chose to live a good life and find love in the people around him. I just want that for you.”

“Maybe I don’t have Jarvis, but I have Ed, and he understands what it’s like to have to hide, to have people get hurt because of you. Ben, he—” Peter cut himself off, shaking his head. Tony wanted to just pull him into a hug, take the pain away, but he knew reassurances weren’t going to get through to him. He had to find another way. He just didn’t know what, but to start, he wanted to talk to this Ed character and see what kind of nonsense he was filling Peter’s head with.

“Look, I’m not saying you can’t talk to this Ed guy, but maybe we can try finding some support groups for you, too.”

Peter chanced a look at him. “It’s not fair that I should have all this support when people are getting attacked for their wings.”

Tony sighed. “I can’t make the world better overnight, Peter, but I’m sure as hell willing to try. I’ll do everything in power to help change things. It’s just going to take time. The world has already come a long way. There are laws in place, but I’m afraid prejudice takes time to overcome.”

“It’s not fair.”

“No, it’s not.”

Tony squeezed Peter’s shoulder, hoping to reassure him, then they both made their way up to the penthouse to see what Pepper and May had been doing. When they stepped out of the elevator, they were greeted by faint laughter. Tony followed the sound toward the hall where the nursery would be.

He and Pepper had discussed the pros and cons of raising a baby in the city, and for now, they’d decided to stay in the tower, but once she began to toddle, they both thought it might be nice to have a real house. Tony hadn’t told her, but he’d already been looking into some houses upstate. He’d seen a nice cabin on the lake that he could picture the family all enjoying together. It even had room for Peter and May to visit.

Tony noticed that Peter was no longer beside him, and he glanced back over his shoulder, only to find him standing back by the couches with his head ducked. Tony’s shoulders sagged, and he ran a hand over his goatee, scratching at his chin. He really needed to get Peter over his fears. It wasn’t healthy for anyone to be afraid of themselves. The kid internalized everything, making him a twisted ball of anxiety.

Peter’s eyes flicked up to meet Tony’s before dropping back to the floor, and then he wrapped an arm around his middle. Tony frowned but stayed quiet, turning back to the nursery and the chatter coming from inside it.

May appeared through the doorway, looking surprised when she saw Tony. Her eyes were bright and glossy from laughing so hard. It seemed she and Pepper had hit it off.

“Hey, Tony, we were just talking about you,” May said, stepping more into the hall and making room for Pepper to follow.

Pepper’s cheeks were pink and eyes watering, but there was a wide smile on her face. She put a hand on May’s shoulder. The girls looked at each other and then to Tony before breaking into another fit of giggles. Apparently, they had hit it off really well.

He raised a brow. “Do I want to know?”

May snorted, covering her mouth with the back of her hand. “Excuse me, but I don’t think I can ever look at you the same again.”

Tony turned his gaze to Pepper. “Please tell me you didn’t tell her about _you know what_.”

It was Pepper’s turn to snort. “Don’t worry, your secret’s safe, Tony. I just told her about the time you tried to get Starbucks and talked to the trashcan for two solid minutes before I pointed it out.”

“Hey, I had been working for days at that point, and it was way too nice looking to be a trashcan, how was I supposed to know?”

May laughed, shaking her head. “Only you, Tony. So, how was driving? I don’t see Peter behind you. You didn’t use the child locks on him, did you?”

Tony tipped his head just slightly to motion behind him. “He’s uh … “ He rubbed the back of his neck, meeting Pepper’s gaze. He nodded to her baby bump, making her hand slide over it.

May seemed to wilt. “Well, it’s best we go talk to him.”

Tony stepped out of the way, and May smiled when she saw Peter. Tony let her go to him, while he put an arm around Pepper and drew her in for a hug.

He pressed a kiss to her temple and laid a hand on her stomach, hoping to feel the baby kick. Pepper had just started feeling flutters, but no outright kicks had been thrown yet.

“How is he?” Pepper asked quietly, but Tony knew Peter could still hear them.

He nodded to the nursery, guiding Pepper inside.

“He’s scared of everything. He thinks he might jinx the pregnancy. I just want him to be okay, but I don’t know how to do that.”

She shook her head. “We’ll just have to find a way to get through to him. I want us all to be a family, and that might be bigger than we think. You know what May told me today?”

Tony lifted his brows. “What?”

“Her and Happy—he asked her out last week.”

Tony huffed a laugh. “Good for him— _good for her._ I mean, they’ll be great for each other, and I know Happy wouldn’t hold any malice towards Peter for his wings.”

Pepper cupped his face. “Let’s not rush it. Let them take things one step at a time. We don’t want to push Peter. You know how he can get about people seeing his wings.”

“Yeah, you’re right.” He took her hand, sliding it down to press a kiss to her palm. “You’re beautiful, you know that, right? And no matter what color wings our daughter gets—”

“Or son,” Pepper interrupted.

“—I’m going to love her, just the same.”

“Even if she’s got big hulking vulture wings like my grandfather?” Pepper asked.

“Especially if she’s got big hulking vulture wings like your grandfather. I’m sure she’ll make them look adorable.”

Pepper leaned in and gave him a peck on the lips. “Come on. May and Peter are waiting.”

They left the nursery and made their way to the living room, only to find May sitting on the couch with her elbows on her knees and head hung. Peter was nowhere in sight. When she lifted her head, there were tears in her eyes. She sighed heavily while shaking her head. “He left.”

Pepper went to sit beside her, but Tony stayed standing. He was already itching to ask Friday where Peter had gone. He hoped that maybe he went down to one of the labs to clear his head, but he knew that wasn’t likely. He wondered if he’d be going to find his new friend Ed, or maybe he’d just sneak up a building and sit on a roof somewhere.

“What happened?” Pepper asked.

May’s lips thinned, and she sighed through her nose. “The same thing we’ve been going around in circles about for months—this crazy belief that he’s to blame for everything. I wish there was something I could do to make him see differently. He’s a smart boy, but on this, he won’t budge.”

Tony shook his head. “I’ll try talking to him again. I have an idea. Maybe it will help bring him around. It can’t hurt.”

* * *

Tony flipped on his blinker and turned onto the narrow street that led behind the housing project. He stopped the car beside a large container for construction waste and turned off the engine. He pulled off his sunglasses and looked around. It wasn’t quite dark, but it was getting there, the sky was just starting to be touched by the warmth of sunset. He got out of the car and closed the door, tucking his sunglasses in his pocket.

There was evidence of the cities homeless living nearby, a few carts and boxes with bags of belongings were scattered through the lot. A piece of newspaper caught the breeze and rustled past him. The sand dusted pavement crunched under his feet as he walked towards what looked like a makeshift hut made of boxes.

“Hello?” Tony called, touching his watch and assuring himself that his gauntlet was ready. It was a little unnerving, the way it seemed so quiet. “Anyone home?”

Tony ducked his head to look in the boxes but didn’t see anything. His eyes roamed the lot, looking for movement.

“Is there an Ed here somewhere, or am I talking to myself?” Tony asked no one. He shook his head. “Definitely talking to myself.”

“Who wants to know?” a gruff voice came from beside him, near the alley. Tony turned to the sound, raising his brows.

“You Ed?”

“Maybe, what’s it to you?” the man asked.

Tony saw a flash of black feathers; large wings arched behind the man, and then settled on his back. Tony cleared his throat. The man shuffled out of the shadows, his wings catching the little sun left in the sky, glistening with the faintest of green sheens.

“I think you know a friend of mine—Peter,” Tony said. He held up a hand near his ear. “About this tall, brown hair, brown eyes, and black wings.”

The man’s weathered face turned into a scowl, and he shook his head. “I knew talking to him would get me into trouble.”

“You’re not in trouble. I just came to talk. He’s got this idea that ravens are the cause of everything from parking tickets to global warming—seems you share his beliefs.”

The man scoffed. “Sometimes, I think the world would be better off without us ravens. It ain’t like they want us around.”

“So you are Ed—the guy that’s been filling Peter’s head with bullshit and undoing all my hard work.”

His black wings flexed, a few feathers drifting to the ground. They didn’t look like they’d been preened in years. “Yeah, that’s me, but all I’ve done is tell him the truth. Nothing more, nothing less.”

“Bullshit!” Tony snapped, frustration getting to him. “You’ve made things a hundred times worse, agreeing with him about this stupid shit. I can’t make him stop coming here, but I sure as hell can threaten you.”

Ed didn’t seem bothered. “There ain’t nothing you can do that’ll bother me. I’ve lost everything worth having years ago, and if you want to hit an old man, be my guest.”

“I don’t—I don’t want to hit you. I meant—”

“Don’t matter what you meant,” Ed said. “People use me every day as a scapegoat for their problems. Why did it rain start raining on their way to work? Must be because they passed old Ed. Got sick before vacation? Must have been that raven they bumped into, and god forbid that someone dies.” Ed shook his hand, his knobby fingers coming up to stroke his white beard. “It’s always the black wings in the end. Messengers of death.”

“You can’t believe that.”

Ed shrugged. “I had a family once, a wife and daughter. I tried to live a good life, but who was I kidding? Ravens can’t have good things.”

“What happened?”

“Our apartment building caught on fire, faulty wiring, but everyone looked at me. I couldn’t—after that, I had nothing left. I haven’t looked back since. Ravens aren’t only cursed to bring death. We’re also cursed to live with it. We’re always the ones left behind. That’s the hardest part—the guilt.”

Tony’s throat felt tight. “Peter’s a good kid. He can be anything he wants. He just needs a chance.”

“Maybe you’re right, but you can’t ignore the weight on his shoulders. You might not believe in it, but the world is shouting the opposite at him every single day. Your problem ain’t with me. It’s with everyone else.”

* * *

Peter sat on the floor, with his back against the bed, his legs stretched out in front of him. He bounced a small ball against the wall, catching and sending it back again. His toe stuck out from one of his socks where his toe had worn through. He wiggled it, trying to get it back inside. It didn’t work. He sent the ball at the wall again, listening as May bustled around the house, getting ready for work.

The ball slapped into his palm, and he closed his fingers around it. It had been days since he left the tower in a rush, and no one had talked about it. He felt embarrassed that he had run, but his body had been buzzing with tension, and his fears won out. May understood, she always understood, even if she didn’t say it. He could see it in the way her lips always seemed to press into a smile, and how the warmth never left her eyes.

Peter carried the guilt of Ben’s death, not just because of his actions that night, but because if May and Ben hadn’t taken him in, his uncle would be alive. He wondered what his life with his parents would have been like, what would have been different. Then he remembered that it didn’t matter because he killed them, too. Maybe not directly, but by association.

His wings were a curse, and after meeting Ed, he saw he wasn’t the only one who carried the same weight of regret and loss. He wasn’t the only one with guilt. He remembered the priest at this parents’ funeral. It was the first time he’d ever faced the truth about who he was. He didn’t belong anywhere. Even with all the people he saved, there was no telling how many lives were lost because he got too close instead of staying away.

“I’ll see tomorrow, sweetie,” he heard May shout from the living room. “Call if you need anything and stay outta trouble. Love you.”

“Love you, too.”

There were shuffling and footsteps, and then the door clicked closed, locking after. Peter dropped his head back against the mattress and closed his eyes. The world felt too raw, too real, too tangible, and Peter just wanted to escape. He let out a breath, squeezing the rubber ball in his hand. It gave easily under his strength. So focused on the chaos in his head, he didn’t hear the footsteps approaching the door, startling when the sharp crack of knuckles rapped against the wood.

His head snapped up, eyes going wide. The ball fell on the floor, bouncing toward the desk.

“Pete, you in there, kid? May let me in before she left,” Tony’s voice came through the door.

“Oh, hey, yeah, come in.” Peter dusted his hands on his jeans, moving to get up, but before he could, Tony was opening the door and stepping into the room.

Tony lifted a brow as he took in Peter’s position on the floor, a small smirk tugging at his lips. “Got something against chairs, or like, the bed behind you?”

A frown carved wrinkles into Peter’s brow. “I—this was more comfortable?” It definitely came out more like a question and less like the statement he intended.

“Right.” Tony nodded, looking around the room, and Peter inwardly cringed at the mess. His gaze seemed to pause on the desk chair that was full of books and dirty laundry before sweeping to the bed and then down to the floor. With a sigh, Tony walked over to the bed and took a seat near Peter. “So, this is what you do when you’re not out rescuing hamsters.”

Peter had to crane his neck to scowl at Tony. “It was a Guinea Pig, and I got a free slice of birthday cake for finding him.”

“It’s good to know I can use food to motivate you.”

Despite himself, Peter laughed, dropping his head and drawing his knees up. He rested his forearms against them and began to pick at his nails. A blanket of silence fell over them, and neither spoke. Maybe they were each waiting for the other to speak. The tension was getting to Peter and bit his lip, nibbling the dry skin there.

Tony broke first, his heavy sigh loud in the room. “I have a confession to make, and I don’t know how you’re gonna take it. You should probably be pissed at me, actually.”

Peter frowned, looking over at Tony beside him, but keeping his gaze low. He idly noticed that there was a drop of yellow paint on his shoe, and Peter wondered if that was the color they’d decided for the nursery. He could picture Tony painting the walls. Something in Peter clenched, and his heart seemed to hurt more than before. How that was possible, he didn’t know.

“I don’t think I want to know.”

“Yeah, about that, I think you should know. I was worried about you, and I went down and spoke to your friend Ed. I didn’t—”

“You what?” Peter was pushing himself up, turning to face Tony. “How could you do that?”

Tony put his hands up defensively. “I was only worried about you. Can you blame me?”

“Yes, actually, I can. You didn’t need to invade my privacy like that. I told you where I was going, that should have been enough.”

Peter shook his head, hand coming up to rake through his curls. He spun and went for the door, but Tony was on his feet, grabbing his arm to stop him.

“No more running away, Peter. We need to talk about this, about the baby, about the things that Ed told you.”

Anger flashed in Peter’s eyes. “You don’t know anything. You don’t get it.”

“Do I need to remind you that I actually have some first-hand experience with self-hatred and not liking your wings.”

“That’s it, though. You think it’s just about not liking them, or accepting them. It’s about so much more. You know why I like Ed?” Peter didn’t wait for an answer. He just pressed on, frustration and pain fueling him. “Because he gets it. He knows what it’s like to feel the guilt eat you until you’re just a hollow shell.”

Tears were streaming down Peter’s face. He turned his gaze to the window and then back to Tony, who had tears of his own threatening to fall.

“I don’t know what to do, Pete. Tell me how to fix this. Tell me how to help.”

Peter sucked in a stuttering breath and licked his lips, tasting the salt of his tears. The hollow, empty feeling inside him was just becoming too much, and it felt like it would consume him at any moment.

“I don’t know. I don’t—” Peter shook his head, wiping his eyes with his hand. It didn’t slow the steady flow of tears.

Tony grabbed the hand Peter was wiping over his face and stopped him, pulling him forward, while his other hand cupped that back of Peter’s head and guided it to his shoulder. A sob broke free from his throat, feeling like glass, and then another followed, a little easier and less painful.

He melted into Tony’s arms and let the pain swell and crash over him. Wave after wave of guilt and hurt and regret bubbled up from inside him, and he just let it free as Tony held him tightly, keeping him grounded. It wasn’t going to fix a thing. He didn’t know what would—if anything—but it felt good to let it go.

“You know,” Tony said, scratching at Peter’s scalp gently. “I was gonna tell you something else, too.” Peter’s sobs had calmed to sniffles, but Tony still held him. “Can I tell you?”

“Not if it’s gonna cause me to have another breakdown.”

Tony pressed a kiss to Peter’s hair. “It shouldn’t. You’ve done Punnett squares, right?”

Peter tried to lift his head to give a quizzical look, but Tony just shushed him and kept him pressed to his chest.

“Yeah, we did them last year.” He sniffled, feeling bad for getting snot on Tony’s shirt. It was probably worth more than his apartment. “Why?”

Tony scratched his fingers through Peter’s hair. “Well, Pepper and I each had some testing down because of the baby.”

“Is it because you’re old?”

He felt Tony huff a laugh. “Funny. Anyway, we found something out. I’m a carrier for the Corvid gene. Pepper’s not, but the chance the baby will be a raven is there.”

Peter did pull free from Tony’s grasp at that, eyes wide. “What?”

Tony shoulders sagged. He looked tired. “We thought you should know, just in case. I did some research, and it seems my great-great-grandfather was a raven. Probably why the old man never minded Jarvis.”

“Aren’t you worried?” Peter’s mind was going a mile a minute. It felt like his world was tipping on end.

Tony frowned, confusion clear on his brow. “Why would I be? No matter what, Peter. I’m going to love her the same way I love you, kid. You can’t tell me that you’d treat her differently, would you?”

“What? No, I would never. I wouldn’t do that to her—him. It wouldn’t be their fault.”

A weak smile touched Tony’s lips, and he reached up, placing a hand on Peter’s arm. “Exactly. It wouldn’t be, now would it?”

**Author's Note:**

> thank you and I hope you liked it. Morgan will be making her debut very soon. I can't wait.


End file.
